Top 5 stats that show Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic could be the next NBA superstar
Not enough can be said about Luka Doncic and his exploits in the game. The 22-year-old Slovenian has wowed fans, especially in the NBA.
He played in Europe as a teenager, winning the EuroLeague championship and the MVP award. Luka Doncic is also a three-time Liga ACB champion (Spain's top basketball league). He is now a two-time NBA All-Star in just his third year in the competition, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a playoff berth yet again.
Luka Doncic's list of accomplishments runs deep, with many analysts and fellow players saying he could end his NBA career with multiple MVP honors and championships.
Luka Doncic recently posted his third career playoff triple-double to help his team upset the LA Clippers in Game 1 of the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. His imperious performance has led many to call him a superstar in the making.
Doncic broke Jason Kidd's Mavericks triple-double record just five days after turning 21. Kidd had posted 21 triple-doubles in 500 games; Doncic did so in only 120 outings.
That is just one of his numerous accomplishments in his young NBA career. On that note, let's take a look at five astonishing stats that show Luka Doncic is destined to be the next NBA superstar.
#5 Luka Doncic is the youngest NBA player to record a 30-point, 20-rebound triple-double
This NBA record has been previously held by all-time greats such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain, among others.
But on August 2020, 21-year-old Luka Doncic became the youngest player in NBA history to record a 30-point-20-rebound triple-double. In an overtime thriller against the Sacramento Kings, Doncic dropped a stunning 34 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists in 43 minutes.
#4 Luka Doncic is the quickest player in Dallas Mavericks' history to score 5,000 points
When asked about the greatest Dallas Mavericks player, the first name that comes to everyone's mind is Dirk Nowitzki. However, Luka Doncic could become the Dallas Mavericks' greatest-ever player.
He recently became the quickest player in franchise history to tally 5,000 points, doing so in just 194 games.
In the process, Luka Doncic became the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 5000-point mark, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony being the others. However, James remains the youngest of the quartet to record the milestone. But Doncic (194 games) took three fewer games than James to arrive at the mark.
#3 Luka Doncic has the most consecutive games with 20 points, five assists and five rebounds
Surpassing the mark of another NBA legend, Luka Doncic recorded 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in December 2019 against the Sacramento Kings.
In doing so, Doncic surpassed the great Michael Jordan for the most consecutive 20/5/5 games since the 1976 ABA-NBA merger. Luka Doncic was just 20 years old at the time, and that game marked his 19th straight 20/5/5 outing.
#2 Luka Doncic has the most playoff Triple-Doubles through seven games since the 1976 merger
In Game 1 of the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs, Luka Doncic racked up 31 points, ten rebounds and 11 assists to help his team upset the LA Clippers.
That marked Doncic's third career playoff triple-double, which is quite astonishing considering he has played only seven playoff games in his young career. Luka Doncic's three playoff triple-doubles through seven games is the most by any NBA player since the 1976 ABA-NBA merger.
#1 Luka Doncic is the youngest player in NBA history to hit a playoff buzzer-beater and record a 40-point playoff triple-double
In Game 4 of the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, Luka Doncic did the unthinkable.
He posted a 40-point triple-double, recording 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists, which has gone down as one of the best NBA playoff performances of all time. To cap off his historic night, Doncic drilled a game-winning buzzer-beater in overtime to upset the 2nd-seeded LA Clippers and tie the series 2-2.
In the process, Luka Doncic became the youngest player in NBA playoff history to hit a buzzer-beater, leading to renowned ESPN commentator Mike Breen calling his trademark 'BANG' twice.
Luka Doncic's 40-point triple-double made him the youngest player in playoff history to drop that statline. Doncic is just getting started but has taken the breath away of numerous all-time NBA greats, and several NBA records are unsafe as Doncic continues his journey in the league.
Also Read: Who is Luka Doncic's girlfriend, Anamaria Goltes?